ARTICLES ABOUT YORK COUNTY SCHOOL DIVISION BY DATE - PAGE 4

YORK — York County Administrator James McReynolds will release his proposed 2014 budget during a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. During a retreat with the Board of Supervisors in January, McReynolds said another increase in the real estate tax rate could be needed to close a possible multi-million-dollar funding gap. The county's 2013 operating budget of $127.2 million included an 8.4-cent increase in the real estate tax rate. At the time, McReynolds estimated the county could be facing a budget gap of up to $3.8 million depending on how much additional funding the Supervisors wanted to give to the York County School Division.

YORK — Security patrols were increased Tuesday at the Yorktown Middle School campus after a school administrator was notified about a threat against a student. Katherine Goff, coordinator of community and public relations for the York County School Division, said the school administrator notified York County School Division officials Tuesday morning that a threat had been made against a student at York River Academy, which is located on the campus of Yorktown Middle School. The parents of the student alerted the administrator to the threat, Goff said.

YORK — The implementation of new sports fees at York County middle and high schools this school year has gone smoothly, according to school officials. York County School Board Chairman Barbara Haywood said she hasn't had anyone contact her about concerns regarding the fees. Haywood said there was a concern at the beginning of the school year that there could be students who couldn't afford to play sports as a result of the fees. She said the School Board periodically touched base with York schools Superintendent Eric Williams at the start of the school year to see if there were any issues with students not being able to pay but that no problems arose.

More than 15 York County teachers attended a joint meeting last week of the York County Board of Supervisors and School Board, urging them to support county teachers. The teachers greeted the Supervisors as they entered York Hall with signs urging the two boards to support teachers and schools funding. One sign read "Would be there but I'm at my second job. " Another sign read, "York teachers deserve a living wage. " A recent survey of York County teachers showed 46 percent of respondents had a second job. The two boards discussed the budget needs for both the county and York County School Division including a possible 2 percent raise for county and school employees.

YORK — More than 20 York County teachers last month gathered at Grafton Middle School to learn about how to use outdoor gardens as a way to engage students in learning about science. The workshop is part of the Monarch Initiative Project which will establish gardens to attract the Monarch Butterfly at all 10 York County elementary schools as well as Poquoson High School. The program is funded through grants from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Environmental Endowment, askHRgreen and Keep Virginia Beautiful.

YORK — While no promises were made during a joint meeting between the York County Board of Supervisors and School Board on Tuesday, the county administrator did include an increase in schools funding in his 2014 budget outlook. During a presentation about the county's 2014 budget, York County Administrator James McReynolds included a $2.9 million increase to the York County School Division as part of the county's possible new expenditures. The county is anticipating $4.97 million in new expenditures including $2.9 million to the schools, $925,000 related to health insurance costs and another $650,000 for a 2 percent pay raise for county employees.

YORK — Comments during a sparsely attended budget forum Tuesday for York County's 2014 budget were mixed with one resident saying he didn't want to see another tax increase while another urged county officials to make pay increases for county and school employees a priority. Three people spoke during the forum, held during a regular York County Board of Supervisors meeting. York resident Frank Grandy said he didn't want to see another real estate tax rate increase and asked the supervisors to instead focus on cutting costs.

YORK — York County residents may need to brace for another increase in the real estate tax rate based on preliminary 2014 budget scenarios discussed during a York County Board of Supervisors retreat Saturday. York County Administrator James McReynolds said revenue projections for 2014 look positive for the county, with an estimated $1.67 million in new revenue expected. But possible new expenditures totaling $3.8 million would create a funding gap of $2.12 million, he said. York County's current 2013 operating budget is $127.2 million, up $4 million from the previous year's budget.

YORK — Jennifer Gates was preparing to make costumes for her son's holiday concert at Dare Elementary School when she got an email from her son's teacher to put a hold on the costume making. As it turned out, Dare Elementary Principal Mary Ahearn canceled the concert, unbeknownst to parents and apparently some teachers. In an email response to an inquiry from Gates about the cancellation, Ahearn said she asked the music teacher to "plan concerts for different times of the year due to the diversity of (the school's)

YORK — Early projections for York County's 2014 budget show the county is experiencing modest revenue growth while also facing rising expenditures. The York County Supervisors on Tuesday got their first look at preliminary revenue and expenditure projections for fiscal year 2014. Sharon Day, chief of budget and financial reporting for York County, said the county was experiencing a slight increase in revenue from personal property, meals, lodging and business license taxes.